daKAH HiP HOP ORCHESTRA

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BUY via Amazon III X 13 ep



"Unlike conventional hip hop music, which is mostly electronic, daKAH takes the essential spirit of hip hop music and orchestrates it for acoustic instruments, dancers, singers, rappers, and deejays. The result is an exciting new sound that stretches the boundaries of musical genres."

"GEOFF GALLEGOS (Double G) came into conducting as a necessary evil. As daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra has grown, it became increasingly challenging for Double G, a sax player, to hit the cues for the ensemble as well as all his notes. Ultimately focusing on conducting, Double G's musical brain was trained at Berklee College of Music in Boston; his musical soul was trained on the road, in tour vans, buses, planes, trains, and automobiles. At age 22, he found himself onstage with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, playing sax in a pops show, feeling intimidated by the players who could really play. Rather than stay intimidated, Double G came to Los Angeles and started daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra, the ultimate union of formally and informally trained musicians. In addition to his work with daKAH, he is an active studio composer, arranger, and conductor in Los Angeles."

"Since its inception in 1999, daKAH HIP HOP ORCHESTRA has expanded steadily and received widespread acclaim for its genre-bending, culture-blending performances. The Los Angeles-based orchestra aims to bring genuine musical experiences to both symphonic and hip hop audiences with unique programming that marries these two genres while maintaining the integrity of each. Forming what may be considered a United Nations of music, the dozens of musicians that comprise daKAH come from wildly diverse musical backgrounds, cultural experiences, artistic tastes, and lifestyles. Their common threads are outstanding musical dexterity and a spirit of curiosity and collaboration. DaKAH is unlike many other orchestras in its balance of formally trained musicians and self-taught musicians and other improvisers from jazz and contemporary traditions. In 2002 the orchestra and its conductor, Geoff Gallegos (Double G), received a Durfee Foundation Artist Award that led to the release of daKAH's first studio album, Unfinished Symphony."